Exercise
by don't-bite-the-bolt
Summary: On the last day of Cath's first year of college, Levi vows to get her in shape over the summer by doing the last thing that she wants to do: run.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first fanfiction that I'm publishing, so be gentle. It shouldn't be too long, around 7-10 chapters. Happy reading!

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Cath walked out of the Love Library and sat down on the steps, expecting Levi to be waiting for her like he had been many times before. But he wasn't there. Cath wasn't surprised. Levi had said he'd come and get her after his shift at Starbucks, and she may have come out a teensy, weensy– half an hour early.

Deep inside she knew that he would get there when he told her he would get there, but her mind kept coming up with what ifs. What if he was early and got bored waiting for her and walked off? What if he thought that she abandoned him? What if he was waiting and decided that she was no longer worth it?

Of course, once her mind started to wander, she would shake off the thoughts, telling herself: _'Levi wouldn't do that, he loves you, he wouldn't think that.'_ But eventually, the what ifs became too strong, and Cath couldn't concentrate on her writing anyway, so she decided to wait outside.

Exactly thirty minutes later, Cath was daydreaming about Simon and Baz, when she heard the familiar voice that never failed to put a smile on her face.

"Cather!" For some reason, perhaps because she was so happy, Cath decided to run to Levi. He was standing there, grinning, as she stood up and began to run over to him. He looked surprised, but opened his arms wide. Once she reached him though, she couldn't stand for a second longer, and collapsed onto the grass in front of him, sucking in air. The happy smile turned into a concerned look as Levi stood looking down on her.

"Cather?" Levi asked. "Are you alright?" Cath ignored him and continued to gasp like a dying fish. _'No more running. Ever.' _She mentally vowed.

"Cather. It isn't okay that you ran—what? A block or so, and you can't breathe. I personally, think it is _my_ job as your boyfriend to keep you in shape." Cath, who had finally caught her breath, and was sitting up, whispered a horrified "No."

"Yes," Levi answered grimly, sitting down next to her. "You have to, Cath! You have to admit that that isn't healthy."

"Well . . ."

"I'm getting you in shape if it kills me," Levi said, determined. In fact, Cath probably would have commented on how cute he looked if she wasn't so scared of his sincerity.

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about," Cath muttered, looking down at her hands. Levi tilted her face up with one hand, holding her chin. Cath looked up hopefully, thinking that he might have changed his mind.

"I'll come to your house three times a week to go running," he said, dashing her hopes. He let go of her face, grabbing her hand and standing up, pulling her with him.

"I hate you Levi."

"Love you too, Cather."

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Thank you to my beta, GeekGirl2468.

Please review, I'd love to know what you think. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Before you say it, I know it took a long time to get this up, but July was kind of my 'everything' summer month. It felt like everything was happening in July, but now my schedule is less packed, so the next chapter should be up sooner. It's still short, but I'm trying to build up, so eventually the chapters are going to be a good length. It hasn't been beta-ed, so if there are any errors, they are mine. Enjoy!

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Ding, dong. Ding, dong. The front door opens and closes.

"Cath! Levi's here!" Wren shouted, leaning towards the stairs.

"Mmgh," Cath groaned quietly, burrowing deeper into her blankets. Levi had texted her the night before, letting her know that he was coming the next day, so she decided that she was never, _ever _getting out of bed.

"Cath!" Wren shouted again, getting impatient.

"I'll go get her," Levi said with a smile flashed in Wren's direction.

"Thanks," Wren answered, obviously relieved. "She's usually up already, but today she refused to get out of bed."

"That may be my fault," Levi admitted, turning around.

"Why?" Wren asked, now curious. "She loves you."

"I'm going to make her go running with me," Levi mentioned, blushing a little.

"Oh, that's good. She's horribly un-athletic."

"Yeah, she was running for about a minute and a half and was huffing and puffing on the ground," Levi told her, smiling at the memory.

Wren grinned. "That sounds like my sister alright. You better get her up. It's gonna take you a while," she said, shooing him mockingly up the stairs. He laughed, walking up.

"Cather?" he asked, knocking lightly on her door.

"Mmgh," she groaned into her pillow. Levi slowly pushed the door open, walking in.

"Oh, Cather," he laughed, seeing her curled up in her blanket like a caterpillar.

"Don't 'oh Cather' me!" Cath exclaimed suddenly, eyes popping open.

"You're not going to scare me away, you know," Levi commented, not unkindly.

"Damn." Cath flopped back down on her bed, covering her eyes with her arm, causing Levi to grin.

"Oh, come on, Cath! You know, in your heart, that I'm right. Why don't you skip the theatrics, come down, cook us some breakfast, and we can get going? After all, the faster we start, the sooner we can stop, and it's only going to get hotter outside." As he said the last part, Levi pulled Cath's arm away from her face and smiled down at her.

Cath snorted. "Good thing I'm stubborn." Plucking her arm from Levi's grasp, she turned her back to him and settled down into her blankets, closing her eyes.

After several threats, loads of whining, and a few screams (which were ignored by Wren), Levi finally got Cath to agree to cook breakfast (as it was the only thing she would agree to). Levi figured he could convince her to do more later, and anyway, he was hungry, since he had waited to eat with Cath. They were currently in the kitchen, Cath cooking omelets and Levi leaning against the counter, watching her.

He loved the way she would get so focused on cooking. How if something didn't work quite right, her beautiful face would develop a small scowl and a frown, making her look adorable.

"Levi? You do want to eat, right?" Lost in his thoughts, Levi had missed Cath finishing and plating the omelets. Now she had them in her hands, looking a combination between confused, expectant, and a tiny bit suspicious and irritated.

"Yes, of course," he answered, grabbing a plate and grinning. "I can't wait. You always make the best omelets." Cath gave a small smile, blushing a little, but didn't answer.

They finished, and Levi was thinking about how to approach the topic of going on the run with Cath. Mulling it over for a bit as he cleaned his plate, he decided to just jump in and hope for the best.

"You should get dressed so we can start running."

Cath sighed. "You're not going to give this up, are you?"

"Nope." Levi grinned a little, hoping to soften the blow (if one could call it that).

Cath sighed again. "Alright. I'll get dressed. Fine." She began to walk away, but then turned around. "I'm still not running," she told him determinedly.

A smile appeared on Levi's face. "Sure you aren't."

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How do you like it so far? Please review and let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Sorry this took so long to write, I've just had so much stuff going on with back-to-school and everything, and now that I've got into a routine, the next chapter should be up much faster. Enjoy!

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"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"_Cather_."

"Levi."

"Are you _serious_?"

"Are you?"

"You're arguing like a child."

"So are you." At this last remark, Levi sighed and stood up.

"One time. If you don't want to, we don't ever have to do it again."

"Mmmm," Cath seemed to be losing her battle, and the look on Levi's face—gently pleading—did her in. "Okay, fine, whatever."

"Really?" Levi's eyes lit up with happiness, and although Cath thought it was kind of a stupid reason to be happy, she walked over and gave him a quick kiss.

"Yes, now let's go before I change my mind."

Levi pulled out a backpack seemingly from nowhere, unzipped it, and began taking things out. When he was done, the counter was littered with water bottles, arm bands that hold your phone, bracelets that display some number, and a couple of these little box things with clips on the backs of them.

"What's this?" Cath asked, picking up a box-y thing and studying it.

"Oh, that's a pedometer. It measures how many steps you take." Levi told her, glancing up, and then going back to trying to figure out which of the identical water bottles he had already used.

Cath sighed, and set the pedometer back down.

"What is it, Cather?"

"I just-I don't know, having all this stuff here makes it feel like you have such high expectations for me, and I don't think I'm going to be able to meet them. Honestly, this whole thing is your fault anyway, but would you mind if we didn't use all the fancy stuff the first couple times?" Levi grinned.

"Can we use the water bottles?" he asked teasingly.

"Noooo," Cath said sarcastically, smacking his arm lightly, but smiling. Levi went to the kitchen, still grinning like a maniac, to fill up the bottles. It worried Cath a bit, not because it was in any way unusual, but because there was a certain glint in his eyes that wasn't normally there. When they walked out the door, and he was still smiling, she decided to ask.

"What's got you lit up like a Christmas tree?" He glanced over and smiled a bit bigger, if that was possible.

"You said 'the first couple times', implying that we will be running again." He winked and started jogging away. "C'mon Cather! Don't want to get too far behind!"

"Levi!" She shouted, running after him.

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Cath POV:

"Cath, hurry up. We have to cross this street." Levi was waiting for me, near the street, ready to cross.

"Go ahead," I told him, huffing and puffing as I slowly walked, holding my stomach, towards him.

"Are you sure?" Levi asked, concerned, starting towards me.

"Yeah, go." I waved him off, but sped up a little. _"In fact,"_ I thought. _"I could probably make this signal if I jogged."_ So I did, but the timer was counting down. _"Should I go? Yeah, I should. But . . . nah, it'll be fine."_ I ran out into the street at the last second, just as Levi turned around. I grinned at him, and he started to smile back, but then looked scared.

"Ca-!" was all I heard before I was pushed violently to the side, felt an unimaginable pain, and everything turned dark.

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Sorry for the cliffhanger! I tried it a million different ways and this was the only one that worked. But again, the next chapter should be up soon. Please review and let me know what you thought, it would make my day!


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